Education Essential for Medical Cannabis Use, Regulations

Making medical cannabis use a reality is a complex legal matter that requires the cooperation of the industry, academia and regulators. Khiron and TecSalud are supporting education on the subject through an international education program on Medical Cannabis, which is now on its second edition.

The program will provide all tools and clinical and scientific knowledge to facilitate the responsible use and safe prescription of cannabinoids to patients who can benefit from this complementary treatment. “At Khiron, we have decided to offer education programs to fill the medical information gap, providing medical professionals with scientific support and understanding about cannabis use,” María Fernanda Arboleda, Former International Director of Medical Services, Khiron, told MBN. The program will be offered alongside TecSalud and Khiron will offer over 1,500 scholarships to train doctors on the use of medicinal cannabis.

The program will consist of a 12-module course that will be taught by six experts from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28. It will include five theoretical modules and seven clinical cases based on real experiences.

“By the end of the certificate, doctors will understand the use of medicinal cannabis, whether oral, inhaled or topical; likewise, they will be able to analyze in which patients would benefit from derivatives CBD, THC or both (as long as the latter is authorized),” Fernando Cantú, Academic Director of the Medical Specialty of Anesthesiology and Clinical Director Pain and Palliative Care Clinic, TecSalud, told El Economista.

Experts agree that education is key to the advancement of cannabis regulations and medical use.  Despite having a regulatory framework, the need for medical education to safely prescribe the drug would increase access to this treatment for patients in need, according to an article by Karger.

In June 2017, Mexico legalized cannabis for medical use by amending the General Health Law. This amendment, published in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF), considers a regulation that will foster the creation of the necessary government bodies so the industry can take off.

On Jan.12, 2021, the Mexican government published new regulation for research and medicinal use of cannabis that included rules for sowing, transforming, selling, importing and exporting cannabis. This means that the institutions that regulate medicines, such as the Ministry of Health and COFEPRIS, should also regulate cannabis, said Erick Ponce, President, Promoting Association for the Mexican Cannabis Industry (GPIC).